417 



We liave recently received an interesting letter from ^fr. William H. 

 Crane, of Steele City, Xebr., in which he tells of a large prismatic- 

 tinted black wasp locally known as the grave-digger which preys upon 

 a green katydid. This wasp, we are informed, also has an enemy which 

 pursues it as relentlessly as it does the katydid. One day our corre- 

 S])ondent observed a wasp with a katydid and seemingly annoyed by 

 something. Soon two flies not much larger than house flies, "with 

 wings that stood out from their bodies like a dragon fly," were seen. 

 Their motions were so swift that they were lost sight of repeatedly, but 

 they had a habit of "standing still on the wing watching for an oppor- 

 tunity to deposit an egg on the wasp or his prey if he relinquished his 

 vigils for an instant; but the wasp interrupted them, fluffing up his 

 wings like a hen protecting her brood. Then one would approach from 

 the rear and endeavor to deposit an egg at the base of the wasp's wing or 

 on the back of its head. Once a fly succeeded in placing an egg on its 

 victim's head, but it was promptly clawed ofi' by the wasp." The fly in 

 question is doubtless one of the lachina flies, but we know of no record 

 of any of these insects being i)arasitic on adult digger wasps. 



MIGRATION OF THE GREAT PLAINS CRICKET. 



The same correspondent mentioned in the preceding note writes us 

 that he has seen an insect which he calls the army cricket marching in 

 innumerable numbers, destroying everything green in their path. A 

 swarm was seen on the Bear River on the boundary of Utah and Idaho. 

 It was 10 miles in length and a quarter of a mile in width. " In front 

 of this army," writes our correspondent, "the landscape was green, 

 behind a brown waste. Large streams deflected their course, but small 

 creeks they crossed with impunity. Jumping in and swimming. They 

 climbed the willows that grew over the brook and by their combined 

 weight bent them over, thus bridging the stream. After the crickets 

 had crossed, the willows appeared as if scorched by fire. These streams 

 were filled with trout, and as the vanguard of the army plumped into 

 the water they Avere pounced upon by the hungry fish, but when the 

 tens of thousands followed, so as to almost dam the current, the gorged 

 trout sought the deepest pools, feeling no doubt like the Hebrews after 

 their feast of quails." 



The insect referred to is undoubtedly the Great Plains cricket, Ana- 

 hnis simplex, a species to which we have frequently had occasion to 

 refer in past issues of the publications of this division. 



NOTE ON THE CHICKEN TICK (AEGAS AMERICANUS PACK). 



During the l-atter part of December of the past year we received 

 specimens of the above mentioned insect from- Mr. C. U. T. Townsend, 

 who found it infesting chickens at San Diego, Tex. It will be 

 remembered that we i)ublished, on i>ages 2(37 and 348 of volume V of 

 Insect Life, some interesting correspondence on this species and its 



